Welcome to Part 2 of Jason and I’s wedding story! Part 1 covered more of the details of planning a destination wedding in Las Vegas. I also shared all the cool stuff we did throughout the weekend in Vegas.
If you missed Part 1, check it out here!
Part 2 will cover all the details from our destination Las Vegas Wedding such as our vendors, the Little White Chapel, Elvis, and how we partied after.
Before we get into it, can I just share the stuff I made for a wedding? Wasn’t sure where else to put this, but I got to show it off! I made these using Canva and printed them off at Fedex.
That was another huge thing I didn’t have to worry about with our ‘micro’-destination wedding in Las Vegas. I know a lot of sweat and money typically go into invitations. Luckily, with two other couples joining us in Las Vegas I didn’t need to get super fancy. But, as a lover of graphic design, I still decided I could have a little fun.
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Our Las Vegas Wedding Day
Picking up from Part 1… After Kelsey and I returned our Turo rental car, we headed back to our respective rooms at The Venetian and The Palazzo to shower and prep for the hair and makeup team to arrive. I had had the whole day scheduled out perfectly, and we ran a bit behind getting back from Seven Magic Mountains. I was worried most about rushing my shower and having to meet our vendors in the lobby.
It definitely had me frazzled but Kelsey and Sydney both reassured me that it’ll all be fine. And thankfully, Sydney was waiting at my suite for me when I got back. She helped steam my dress and got the champagne flowing. I did not expect how critical a supportive bridal party can be!
Sending the Boys Off for Some Thrills and Cocktails
And if you were wondering, the guys got to sleep in and take it a bit easier. I had planned for Connor, Jason, and Nate to head to The Stratosphere for lunch, drinks, and some thrill rides.
I told the guys that they needed to be back at the hotel by 2:30 PM to get ready in time to meet us at the Venetian Suite. Jason might’ve forgotten his socks, thank you Nate for lending a pair!!, but other than that they did great following my scheduling. Lol
Getting Ready with the Girls
So while I was showering, Sydney, the saint she is, was getting the room photo-ready and stayed on call should hair and makeup artists arrive. It all ended up working out schedule-wise. PHEW.
Our hair and makeup artists were super kind about me running late. Apparently, the bride isn’t the first one to get ready anyways! And they all were reminding me that it was my day.
I remember thinking at one point, while Sydney and Kelsey, were getting ready, “Oh my God, I got to start getting ready! Oh wait, I’m paying people to do that for me!”
I love doing my own makeup but it was nice getting to have a professional do it. I don’t get to experiment much with my curly hair, so that was a very fun treat as well.
Vegas Destination Wedding Tip: I created a single mood board for all of us (using the Apple app, Freeform), based on our desired looks. Our HMU artists seem to really appreciate that! I had it ready to go on my iPad day off.
Our hair and makeup artist met us down by the elevators in our hotel. It seems that vendors are very familiar with getting in and out of these maze-like hotels and the best meeting points. Which is great, because I was certainly not. Speaking of our vendors…
Finding Our Fabulous Vegas Wedding Vendors
When it came to Jason and I’s destination wedding in Las Vegas, we wanted to keep things very simple. There were some areas that we didn’t need to worry about, such as renting transportation (the six of us easily fit into an Uber XL) or getting a DJ (Elvis would sing to us, duh!).
But there were other areas that we wanted to do right, mainly getting a great photographer. And secondly, booking a hair and makeup team that could come to our suite, and with skills that I could trust without doing a trial run.
I found our wedding photographer, 9th Island Photography, from the subreddit, r/WeddingsUnder10k. (Which I highly recommend if you’re doing a wedding with a similar budget!) From his recommendations, I found our hair and makeup artistry studio, Beautee Boutique. LV.
And they were all FABULOUS! I highly recommend them all should you be planning a wedding in Las Vegas.
Our wedding photographer, 9th Island Photography, is a husband/wife team located in Las Vegas. You can choose either of them to photograph your wedding. But we really loved the warm, retro vibes of Justin’s work, so we went with him. His wife’s work was equally as beautiful, just a bit of a different vibe!
Vegas Fun Fact: Also, please check out the history of Las Vegas being called the “9th Island”, it’s a pretty interesting story!
We booked Justin for four hours, though he had all types of packages for more or less time that were reasonably priced. Getting our photographer booked was one of the first things we did when planning the wedding. I feel like a great wedding photographer should be the number one priority for everyone getting married.
Justin and I talked a few times before the big day, just to go over what I had in mind, the schedule, as well as some information about Jason and me. He shared some logistical tips which were very helpful. <3
Our First Look
As the hair and makeup team was finishing up, our photographer, Justin arrived right on schedule. I didn’t want too many getting-ready photos, and the guys didn’t need any themselves, so he showed up right at the end to get a few. (Jason got ready in Connors room in case you were wondering!)
Even though I didn’t really plan for it, Jason and I naturally did a “First Look” when the guys arrived at the suite. After the first look, we had a celebratory drink and then headed out to take a few photos at our hotel, The Venetian.
The Venetian in Las Vegas is such a romantic place. There are so many beautiful spots to take your Las Vegas wedding photos. This hotel is also where the canals are located! And our photographer said this place was one of this favorites for photographs.
Getting Married by Elvis at The Little White Chapel
There are so many wedding chapels in Las Vegas, but I knew exactly where I wanted us to get married: The Little White Chapel. It’s a classic, perhaps Vegas’s most well-known chapel, and has been host to many famous weddings over the years.
I booked our day and time slot online a few months before the date. The Little White Chapel had a whole bunch of different packages and locations around the venue. As you select your package, there are plenty of add-ons such as bouquets and photographers.
We booked the Cadillac with Elvis as our officiate. We also added on a bouquet and boutonniere later so we wouldn’t have to worry about flowers for our destination wedding. The total was about $600.
I thought we booked our wedding for 6:30 PM. So we showed up 30 minutes early as recommended by the chapel. And that’s when we found out that our wedding was actually scheduled for 6 PM!
It all worked out though. We were a bit rushed after the ceremony but still got plenty of pictures.
It was quite surprising to see all the different brides and wedding parties at our chapel. You could definitely tell that many brides still choose to get married on Saturday.
I also remember across the street there is a seedy motel. But the girls were waving and cheering us on from their balconies. Oh, I love Vegas!
Wedding Photos From Fremont Street
After our vows and photos at The Little White Chapel, we had a bit more time with our wedding photographer, Justin. I told him that I wanted all the photos to have that old-school Las Vegas vibe. And he suggested the perfect place to go for that would be East Fremont Street/Downtown/Old Vegas.
After the Strip, East Fremont Street is Vegas’s most popular street. It’s a narrow, brightly lit hub full of entertainment, casinos, and shenanigans.
As I wanted wedding photos with Showgirls, I felt confident that this would be the place to go. We didn’t do much besides the photoshoot, but it was a magical place for me.
Our time with Justin had to come to an end eventually. So once we finished on East Fremont, we said our goodbyes and headed back to our hotel suite. I made sure to book plenty of ‘cushion’ room between this and dinner so we could drop off stuff and not feel rushed.
We had a quick drink in our fancy suite, hiked down to the pickup lobby, and headed out to eat (and drink) up!
Time to Party: Reception Dinner (and Gambling!)
So what do you do after getting married? Have an amazing reception dinner! I knew with a destination wedding in Las Vegas, I could really wow our guests when it came to this dinner. If you didn’t know, Vegas is home to more restaurants owned by Michelin Star chefs than any other city in the world.
And so for our dinner, I choose Bazaar Meat by Jose Andres in the Sahara Hotel and Casino. This is so far, and I’m sure will always be, one of the most unforgettable meals of our lives!
I definitely made reservations for us way ahead of time, both because it’s a nice place and we were coming with a group. I choose Bazaar Meat because our group is a group of carnivores, and I knew I wanted to do a celebrity chef place. Jose Andres is an incredible chef, by the way. He is the founder of the World Central Kitchen and does heaps of philanthropy work towards food insecurity and related areas.
We also told them that it was our wedding reception in the reservation details and our waiter took note! It was such a fun menu to experience and taste. My only regret is not ordering more! As someone who hates food waste, I didn’t want to let any of this incredible food go in the trash.
After dinner, I originally had wanted to find a place for us all to go and party the night away. I wanted to dance, but I didn’t want to go to a “Las Vegas Night Club”. I was hoping maybe a cute little dancehall-type spot… But the wedding weekend came and I still hadn’t found a place.
But I’m kinda glad we didn’t…
Instead of dancing, we kept things very Vegas and headed to the casino at The Sahara. I wanted to play Jason and I’s favorite game, Roulette. We even got to teach it to Kelsey and Nate.
And lemme tell you what, it was a good night! We had a “hot” table with lots of winning and good energy. The waiter kept the drinks flowing the whole time. We ended up having two others join our table, one of which is Joel from Canada. He shared how he was a regular to Vegas and it was so fun seeing him play. He and I brought such a fun energy to the table which really makes all the difference!
I couldn’t even tell you what time we left the casino, they plan it like that in Vegas. *wink, wink*
But I know Kelsey and Nate headed back first, while Jason and I stayed at the Roulette table. Sydney and Connor stayed though and played Blackjack with Lady Luck for a bit longer. LOL… I think… It was a long day and I was just looking forward to breakfast the next morning!
The Morning After: Goodbyes at the All-You-Can-Eat Brunch Buffet
Our final day in Las Vegas had finally come. And it held something I’ve always wanted to do in Las Vegas: indulge in an all-you-can-eat buffet!!
I am soooo glad I saved this for last. It was the perfect recovery meal and I didn’t have to worry about eating too much and not fitting in my dress!
Las Vegas has many amazing buffets, but my research had me narrow down the places to two that were the most recommended: The Wynn and Caesars’ Palace. We originally had reservations for Caesars Palace’s Bacchanal Buffet on Friday morning. But I wanted to change that to Sunday and they were ALL booked up.
So I went with my second choice The Buffet at The Wynn. And I am happy we did. We made reservations in advance and had to pay for our meals ahead of time.
No regrets about that. When we arrived Sunday, the line for no reservations looked like something you’d see for the newest ride in Disneyland!!
Next Stop: Our Californian Honeymoon
Wow, that was a long post! Thank you if you’ve stuck around this long! Again, if you missed Part 1 of my wedding posts, definitely check it out! Next up is the honeymoon… Which is an adventure you’ll want to stay tuned for.
In the meantime, check out these posts from Jason and I’s best travels: